I discovered Juliana Plaza/Keyf-i âla, a Turkish-Mediterranean restaurant situated in the atrium of the Julianakerk, by chance. Or maybe not entirely by chance… The Julianakerk (in English: Juliana church) is located within Transvaalkwartier, my dad grew up around the corner of this church in the ’50s. And although a lot has changed since then, this is still his old neighbourhood. So instead of walking fast from A to B, as I usually do, I always pay close attention to my surroundings in this part of town.

Colorful

First of all, the Julianakerk, designed by Dutch architect Gijs van Hoogevest, is an impressive church in the style of the Amsterdam School. You can see its 60-meter-high tower from almost everywhere within Transvaalkwartier. The grandmother of King Willem Alexander, (then) Crown Princess Juliana laid the first stone on September 20, 1924.

On the inside of the venue, it gets even better. If you look to the ceiling of the church atrium while sitting at your restaurant table, you will notice the stained glass windows of the church that match perfectly the grand chandelier and the colorful tea light on your table.

Julianaplaza/Keyf-i âla generally serves a Turkish/Mediterranean à la carte menu. Only on Saturday and Sunday, the restaurant offers a delicious all-you-can-eat breakfast/lunch buffet including Turkish tea and a really great various range of dishes.